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home / alzheimer's disease / study suggests semaglutide could reduce risk of alzheimer’s in type 2 diabetes patients

study suggests semaglutide could reduce risk of alzheimer’s in type 2 diabetes patients

over a follow-up of 10 years, the researchers found that common type 2 diabetes drugs were associated with decreased risk of alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

by karen hawthorne
published apr 17, 2025
read time 2 minute read
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read time 2 minute read
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the findings show the promise of new therapeutic uses for drugs commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, the authors told the university of florida news. getty images
if you’re taking blood sugar-lowering medication like ozempic and wegovy for type 2 diabetes, a recent study reveals there’s a potential added benefit to protection against alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.  
new research out of the university of florida college of pharmacy has found that two widely prescribed medications, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (glp-1ras like ozempic and wegovy) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (sglt2is) work to lower the risk of these degenerative brain disorders. these drugs are designed to reduce the glucose reabsorbed by the kidneys, allowing it to pass out of the body in urine.  
for the study, published in jama neurology, the team looked at medicare claims data of about 400,000 older adults over the age of 50 with type 2 diabetes to identify the link between these drugs and brain health. none of these patients were diagnosed with dementia and were either taking glp-1 or sglt-2i. 
over a follow-up of 10 years the researchers found that both glp-1ras and sglt2is were “statistically significantly” associated with decreased risk of alzheimer’s disease and related dementias when compared with other blood sugar-lowering drugs. there was no difference between the performance of the two medications, so both offer this enhanced benefit.  

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the findings show the promise of new therapeutic uses for drugs commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, the authors told the university of florida news. “it’s exciting that these diabetes medications may offer additional benefits, such as protecting brain health,” said dr. serena jingchuan guo, senior author and assistant professor of pharmaceutical outcomes and policy. “based on our research, there is promising potential for glp-1ras and sglt2is to be considered for alzheimer’s disease prevention in the future. as use of these drugs continues to expand, it becomes increasingly important to understand their real-world benefits and risks across populations.”  
essentially, these drugs could offer major neuroprotective effects for people without type 2 diabetes and may help slow the rate of cognitive decline in alzheimer’s patients. the researchers, however, aren’t certain why the medicines may offer this protective effect, pointing to the need for further study.  
the findings add to a growing body of evidence that shows diabetes is a risk factor for dementia. diabetes-related issues like insulin resistance, sharp swings in blood sugar, reduced blood flow, and long-term inflammation may raise the risk of developing dementia, according to a review of the literature in diabetology and metabolic syndrome.   
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because the study only included patients with type 2 diabetes, the team plans to evaluate the two drugs in broader populations that would assess recent, real-world data that captures the growing use of these drugs in clinical settings. 
“future research should focus on identifying heterogeneous treatment effects, specifically determining which patients are most likely to benefit and who may be at greater risk for safety concerns,” guo said. 
the national institute on aging and the national institute of diabetes and digestive and kidney diseases, both part of the national institutes of health, supported this study with funding.  
 
karen hawthorne
karen hawthorne

karen hawthorne worked for six years as a digital editor for the national post, contributing articles on health, business, culture and travel for affiliated newspapers across canada. she now writes from her home office in toronto and takes breaks to bounce with her son on the backyard trampoline and walk bingo, her bull terrier.

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